Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-03-04
GRIN WALKERS REVENGE.

story of Grim Walker. That was
during the fiercest part of our civil
war. and minor incidents were
speedily absorbed and forgotten.-
/ doubt if there are score Of peo-
pie living to-day who can recall the
details of this singular mans adj
ventures, and l do not remember
that anything save brief outline |
of the massacre of his family has
ever appeared in print.
was a pony express rider on
the Overland route. That meant
helping to guard stages, carrying
light mail on my saddle, forwarding
dispatches, taking my turn to act
as agent of some stable, and va
rious other things which need not
be explained. There we're then sew
eral great trails leading west from
the borders of civilization, and all
were more or less travelled, but the
favOrite routes were from st. Jo-
seph and Council Bluffs, the ono
being known as the northern and
the other as southern route. Twas
on a route along the Platte River
west OF Fort Kearney, which was
sometimes fifty miles long, and
sometimes 125, according to the
way the Indians we're behaving,
and the number of men We had for
service.
Grim Walker was pioneer nam
ed Charles o. Walker, from near
Iowa City. He was giant in size,
naturally sour and taciturn Of dis
position, and his family consisted
of wife and three children. While
the country was excited over the
civil war, and travel by the Over
land had almost come TO a stop, ex-
cept in cases of necessity, Walker
and others formed an immigrant
party to make a push for the golden
land. When first heard of them
they numbered twenty wagons and
sixty or seventy people, and were
on the Platte, east of Kearney,
which was then dangerous ground.
When the outfit reached Kearney,
some were for turning back, Others
for electiDg a new Captain, others
for settling down near by and es'
tablishing ranches. 1t seemed that
there were three or four different
factions in the party, and several
bitter quarrels had resulted. In
the then state Of affairs 2OC
brave and united men could have
scarcely hoped to reach the Colora
do or Wyoming line, for the In
dians were up in arms on every
trail, and thlrsting for blood anC
scalps. When it was known, there
fore, that Grim Walker, as he ha(
come TO be known, had been elected
Captain of a faction and intended
to push on at the head Of only sew
en- families, which could muster bu
nine fighting men, soldiers, hunters
Indian fighters, and overland mel
argued and scolded and predicted
Not an argument could move Grin
Walker. Not a prediction couI'
frighten one of his adherents. l
appeared TO them to be cas-
where manhood and pride we're a
stake, and when 1t was limited tina
the military would restrain then
they made secret preparations ant
departed at night. 1t was an aw
ful thing for those bigoted and de
termined men to drive their wive
and children, consisting of twenty
two people, to horrible death, bu
nothing short of a battle with tn
military would have stopped them
They left Kearney one nigh
about 10 O'Clock, drawing ava
quietly and travelling at their bes
speed. They could not have gon
ten miles before being discovers
by the Indians. A party Of twer
ty of us left over the same trail a
noon next day, and we had gOn
only fifteen miles when we foun
evidences that the little party
which was keeping along th
Platte, had been attacked. Thi
must have been about daylight
Soon after sunrise they had bee
driven to shelter in a grove of CO.
tonwOods, but before reaching
one Of the men had been killed an
scalped, a wagon had broken dow
and been abandoned, and stra
ballets had killed a woman and
child as they covered down benin
the cargo of the wagons. AT
o'clock in the afternoon we came I
the grove, driving away the last Q
the savages, but We were too lat'
Such a spectacle as we there behel
was enough to sicken the heart q
the bravest Indian fighter. TIL
little party had been attacked b
about 800 redskins, and the fgh
had lasted for half day. AS nea
as we could figure from blood spot
on the earth fourteen Indians ha
been killed, and there were blood
trails to show that as many NOR
had been wounded. The foolhard
men bad died game as an Offset
We made out that their camp ha
been carried by a charge, and tina
the last of the fighting was hand I
hand. Five OF the women had bee
carried of into horrible captivity
while all ofhers had haan hntehere